Snake in the grass

Most animals fear snakes, and the horned frog of Central America is no exception but a look-alike snake in the form of a garden hose pipe provokes the same bizarre reaction. If puffing up and screaming like a banshee fails, the frog fights back attacking the hose-pipe and biting it. It pays to have a wide repertoire as danger is never far away. A horned owl would make a nice meal of a frog found in the open, but owls have a similar fear of snakes and are equally fooled by the hose imposter. They click their beaks, hiss loudly and arch their wings to puff themselves up to look bigger. If this bluff fails they turn tail and take flight.